Instructions
by PellNell
Summary: A happy, fluffy story about what happens when Rose wanders off.


"Rose, there's a reason I say 'don't wander off

"Rose, there's a reason I say 'don't wander off.' This is it."

He hadn't wanted to say it twice, but sometimes the situation called for it. So he did.

"Don't wander off." He said it a bit more forcefully now, as he looked up at his companion. She was, at this very moment, wrapped up in what appeared to be a very bright, very pink cocoon made out of some kind of flower-patterned silk and very much latched too the ceiling, and while this might have done wonders to make her blonde hair look nicer than normal, it was not conducive to blending in with the people of Lepidurion.

Rose pouted for a moment, and then glanced down at the Doctor, batting her eyelids. "To be fair, darling," she began, in the sweetest of voices she could muster, "you were the one saying I needed something new to wear."

The Doctor motioned to himself, his hands swinging wildly before pointing at his chest. "Oh, was that me? Why, yes, _darling_…" He stretched the word out in a way that made his spectacles wriggle on the end of his nose and he hoped conveyed his disdain for the predicament at hand. "Yes, I suppose I did instruct you to just pop 'round to the shops on planet populated entirely by butterfly aliens and get yourself glued to the ceiling. Did I mention the part about making sure to tell them that you were, in fact, a naked caterpillar?"

The girl scoffed. She tried to fold her arms over her chest, but the slightly sticky and very constricting wrapper made this difficult. Instead, she settled for wiggling around a bit before sighing and shaking her head. "No, can't say that was you. Think they deduced that from the fact there were no wings attached to my spine." She smirked a little at him now, hoping he might not spend the next week lecturing her about The Time She Was Captured By Butterflies Convinced She Was in Need of a Chrysalis.

"Think you might help me down now, Doctor?" she asked helpfully.

He turned his back to her and held his arms tight against his chest. "You know, I've a good mind to keep you up there, Miss Tyler. Might teach you a little lesson about what it means to be in the imago stage."

"Oh, but I'd much prefer to hear that lecture from you," she replied, her voice positively dripping with poisonous levels of saccharine. "I mean, you've been in that stage for the better part of a millennium."

Rose couldn't help but enjoy these moments in which they played at being angry at one another. It made her life just a tad more interesting to act cross at the cranky man whose false exterior she knew would melt the moment she slipped her hand into his. She couldn't help but feel he delighted in it as well. She'd deduced that anyway. If he didn't, why would he react so harshly to her little mistakes? He'd always pout and waggle his fingers in that way that made him seem more like a wannabe naughty schoolteacher than an upset Time Lord, and to be honest, Rose much preferred it that way. The Doctor was infinitely more appealing when he acted wounded and annoyed than when he simply sighed and threw up his hands.

The Doctor groaned slightly. "I'll try to forget that remark, Miss 'Ooh, the Doctor Won't Mind if I Go Scampering Off.' Now, let's see if we can get you down."

He pulled his glasses off quickly then, in a manner that reminded Rose of Clark Kent, actually, and placed them in his coat pocket. He circled the room briefly, staring at Rose's silken pupa all the while. She watched with rapt attention as his right hand travelled up to stroke his chin thoughtfully. His brow was furrowed and his pupils dashed madly about.

At last, one of his arms reached out and took hold of an end of the wrapping that had seemed nearly invisible to Rose. In one quick swoop, he yanked on it, hard, and she felt herself tumble to the floor, landing hard on her bum.

She rubbed her arse for a moment and then looked up at the Doctor. "Brilliant catch, yeah."

He scoffed at her. "I wasn't under the impression that you wanted me to catch you."

Rose took hold of his hand and pulled herself up. "Well, don't suppose you'd have been nearly as good at it as Jack, but I'm not travelling with him, am I? Suppose you'll hafta do."

"You know, I was thinking the same of you," the Doctor replied cheekily, winking at her.

"Oi! Now that's harsh," she said, grinning. "Guess we best get back to the Tardis now."

A wide grin spread across his face as he linked his fingers with hers. "Quite right. Plenty more planets for you to wander off on."


End file.
